MRI-T2* (T2 star)
A technique known as MRI T2* (T2 star) is now being performed at Children's Memorial Hospital. It is a new imaging procedure that measures iron content in a patient's heart and liver and identifies those at risk for death from iron overload. The iron overload sometimes occurs when patients with conditions such as thalassemia are given transfusions to combat severe anemia. The MRI T2* technique can also be used to measure iron content in the liver and heart in patients with sickle cell disease or hemochromatosis.
The technique is performed by a multidisciplinary team involving physicians in hematology, the Heart Center and medical imaging (radiology). Children's Memorial was an early pioneer in the use of the technique.
Thalassemia is a life-threatening blood disorder that results in severe anemia. Blood transfusions are needed to treat the anemia but sometimes iron overload occurs from the iron in the transfused blood. Accumulation of iron in the liver and heart can lead to organ damage and early death.
Unfortunately, blood tests do not provide information on the amount of iron in the heart and liver. Liver biopsy has been the standard method of determining the amount of iron in the liver but cannot be used to measure the amount of iron in the heart, and performing a heart biopsy is not an easy procedure.
Read more here about the MRI T2* technique. (Copyright by GE Healthcare; used with permission.)